Does strength training once a week really do anything for the body?

Does strength training once a week really do anything for the body?

Confession: While I'd happily run or spin five or six times a week, I'm much less diligent about strength training.

It's not that I don't know the benefits. When I pump iron consistently, I look and feel great, and I know my bones and heart benefit from the habit, too. (Need more reasons to lift heavy weights? We've got eight.) But for some reason, when I end up sweating it out on the running trails or on the bike, it always feels like a much more efficient route to that endorphin rush I crave after a workout. Plus, weightlifting is hard! So when my week starts to fill up, my strength training is the first thing I need to do.

But! I make it a point to hit the weight room or do a strength-based workout at least once a week. In fact, I get a little paranoid if I go any longer without doing a few squats or push-ups. After all, I don't want to lose all my muscle tone. But is a weekly strength plan even worth it? (By the way, do arm exercises in training classes like barre and spinning count as strength training?)

“Any activity is better than none,” says Bedros Keuilian, personal trainer and president of Fit Body Boot Camp. Yay! “However…” Oof. “…strength training one day a week alone will not produce the best results.”

Even if you combine a five-day running habit with one day a week of weights, the best you can hope for is "modest results in strength gains, muscle building, and even an increase in bone density," says Keuilian. Again, better than nothing - but I probably won't get super muscular, and I definitely won't get all the benefits I could if I stepped it up a bit.

So what’s a cardio addict to do? Keuilian suggests spending just three to five minutes at a time doing simple, space-saving moves like squats, tricep dips, and burpees (try these 9 Next-Level Strength-Training Moves That Burn More Calories). He recommends doing this several times a day, but even adding a single five-minute "weight session" after runs adds up—if I do that after every run, that's another 25 to 30 minutes of muscle building I've snuck into the week.

My trick? Take classes that combine cardio and strength, like Barry’s Bootcamp or even bouldering. (We have a Barry’s Bootcamp inspired abs, butt and core workout). My biceps will be back in no time!